Russia in major Ukraine advance as Europe braces for Trump-Putin meet
BERLIN: Russia's offensive in eastern Ukraine was gaining speed and seizing ground Wednesday as European leaders were to hold online talks with US President Donald Trump ahead of his Alaska summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin.
With the world's eyes on the looming Alaska summit, Russia has made rapid advances this week in a narrow but important section of the front line in Ukraine. According to an AFP analysis of battlefield data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces made their biggest 24-hour advance into Ukraine in more than a year on Tuesday. The head of the Donetsk region on Wednesday ordered civilians with children to evacuate from towns and villages under threat. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky flew to Berlin and met Chancellor Friedrich Merz before both were joined online by French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European leaders as well as the heads of the EU and NATO.
All of them were then to have a second call with Trump and Vice President JD Vance, hoping to convince Trump to respect Kyiv's interests during Friday's summit with Putin. Zelensky has not been invited to the Alaska meeting, fueling fears Kyiv could be forced into painful concessions.
The Russian foreign ministry branded the frantic round of diplomacy 'politically and practically insignificant' and an attempt at 'sabotaging' US and Russian efforts to end the conflict. Ukrainian soldiers in Kramatorsk, an eastern city about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the front, said they had low expectations for Trump's meeting with Putin and talks with Zelensky. 'There have already been so many negotiations between the heads of state, but nothing is changing,' 21-year-old Dmytro told AFP. 'If something changes for the better, I will be only happy.'
'New offensive operations'
An AFP analysis of data from Institute for the Study of War showed that the Russian army took or claimed 110 square kilometers (42.5 square miles) on August 12 compared to the previous day. It was the most since late May 2024.
In recent months, Moscow has typically taken five or six days to progress at such a pace, although Russian advances have accelerated in recent weeks. Zelensky acknowledged Tuesday that Russian troops had advanced by up to 10 kilometers (six miles) near the eastern coal mining town of Dobropillia, but said that Kyiv would soon 'destroy them'.
'We see that the Russian army is not preparing to end the war. On the contrary, they are making movements that indicate preparations for new offensive operations,' he said. Russia—which currently has full or partial control over 19 percent of Ukrainian territory—said Wednesday that it had taken two villages close to Dobropillia.
Donetsk governor Vadym Filashkin said the region was beginning the mandatory evacuation of families with children from the town of Bilozerske and a dozen other settlements. The Russian military also fired at least 49 drones and two ballistic missiles at Ukraine during the night, the Ukrainian air force said.
At least three people were killed in Russian artillery and drone attacks on the southern Kherson region, according to regional officials. Artem, a 30-year-old serviceman in Kramatorsk, said the war would likely continue for 'a long time'. 'Putin is massing an army, his army is growing, he is stockpiling weapons, he is pulling the wool over our eyes,' he said.
'Fair peace'
Ahead of his arrival in Berlin, Zelensky, whose team has spoken with more than 30 international allies in a few days, said 'pressure must be exerted on Russia for the sake of a fair peace'. German government spokesman Steffen Meyer said the main aim of Wednesday's talks was to ensure that 'Ukraine must be able to determine its own destiny and take control of its own future'.
'No decisions should be made over the heads of the Ukrainian people,' he said. Trump on Monday played down the possibility of a breakthrough in Alaska but said he expected 'constructive conversations' with Putin.
'This is really a feel-out meeting a little bit,' Trump said. But he added that eventually 'there'll be some swapping, there'll be some changes in land'. Trump's spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the aim was 'for the president to walk away with a better understanding of how we can end this war'. 'I think this is a listening exercise for the president.' — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
an hour ago
- Kuwait Times
Zelensky braces for perilous Trump talks
War in Ukraine at critical juncture • Putin gave no ground at talks in Alaska LONDON/KYIV: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky flies to Washington on Monday under heavy US pressure to agree a swift end to Russia's war in Ukraine but determined to defend Kyiv's interests - without sparking a second Oval Office bust up with Donald Trump. The US president invited Zelensky to Washington after rolling out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin, Kyiv's arch foe, at a summit in Alaska that shocked many in Ukraine, where hundreds of thousands have died since Russia's 2022 invasion. The Alaska talks failed to produce the ceasefire that Trump sought, and the US leader said on Saturday that he now wanted a full-fledged peace deal and that Kyiv should accept because 'Russia is a very big power, and they're not'. The blunt rhetoric throws the weight of expectation squarely back onto Zelensky, putting him in a potentially perilous position as he returns to Washington for the first time since his talks with Trump in the Oval Office spiralled into acrimony in February. The US president upbraided Zelensky in front of world media at the time, saying Ukraine's leader did not 'hold the cards' in negotiations and that what he described as Kyiv's intransigence risked triggering World War Three. Trump's pursuit of a quick deal now comes despite intense diplomacy by the European allies and Ukraine to convince the US president that a ceasefire should come first and not - as sought by the Kremlin - once a settlement is agreed. The New York Times, citing two senior European officials, reported on Saturday that European leaders were also invited to attend Monday's meeting between Trump and Zelensky. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. Trump briefed Zelensky on his talks with Putin during a call on Saturday that lasted more than an hour and a half, the Ukrainian leader said. They were joined after an hour by European and NATO officials, he added. 'The impression is he wants a fast deal at any price,' a source familiar with the conversation told Reuters. The source said Trump sought to convince Zelensky to agree to the idea of a deal in which he would withdraw troops from the partially-occupied eastern Donetsk region that Russian troops have been trying to capture for years. Zelensky replied that was not possible, the source added. Kyiv has publicly dismissed the idea of withdrawing from internationally recognized Ukrainian land they control as part of any deal. Donetsk region, Ukrainian officials say, serves as a fortress holding back Russian advances deeper into Ukraine. Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the Ukrainian parliament's foreign affairs committee, told Reuters by phone that Trump's emphasis on a deal rather than a ceasefire carried great risks for Ukraine. 'In Putin's view, a peace agreement means several dangerous things – Ukraine not joining NATO, his absurd demands for denazification and demilitarization, the Russian language and the Russian church,' he said. Any such deal could be politically explosive inside Ukraine, Merezhko said, adding he was worried that Putin's international isolation had ended. Avoiding a repeat of the Oval Office acrimony is critical for Zelensky to preserve the relationship with the US, which still provides military assistance and shares intelligence. For Ukraine, robust security guarantees to prevent any future Russian invasion lie at the foundations of any serious peace settlement. Two sources familiar with the matter said that Trump and the European leaders discussed potential security guarantees for Ukraine that would be outside NATO but similar to the alliance's Article 5 during their call on Saturday. NATO, which Kyiv seeks to join, though Trump has made clear that will not happen soon, regards any attack launched on one of its 32 members as an attack on all under its Article 5 clause. One of the two sources, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said European leaders were seeking clarity on what kind of US role this guarantee would involve, but that there were no details yet. Zelensky has repeatedly said a trilateral meeting with the Russian and US leaders is crucial to finding a way to end the full-scale war launched by Russia in February 2022. Trump this week voiced the idea of such a meeting, saying it could happen if his bilateral talks in Alaska with Putin were successful. 'Ukraine emphasizes that key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this,' Zelensky wrote on social media on Saturday. – Reuters
Kuwait Times
an hour ago
- Kuwait Times
Trump pushes for Russia-Ukraine peace deal
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump failed to secure a Ukraine war ceasefire at a high-stakes summit with Russia's President Vladimir Putin but insisted on Saturday that he would now target a full peace agreement to end the conflict. Three hours of talks between the White House and Kremlin leaders at an Alaska air base produced no breakthrough but Trump and European leaders said they wanted a new summit that includes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky said he will now go to Washington on Monday while European leaders said they were ready to intensify sanctions against Russia after Trump briefed them on the summit and they held their own protracted talks. Trump remained upbeat about meeting Putin in a post on his Truth Social platform. 'A great and very successful day in Alaska!,' he proclaimed, adding that European leaders backed his plan for a three-way meeting with Putin and Zelensky. 'It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a peace agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere ceasefire agreement, which often times do not hold up,' he added confirming his meeting with Zelensky on Monday. 'If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. Potentially, millions of people's lives will be saved.' After the summit, Trump spoke first with Zelensky, the White House said. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen later joined the call, officials said. The European leaders, who had been wary of being left out of the Alaska meeting, held their own talks on Saturday and said they supported the proposed three-way summit. 'We are also ready to work with President Trump and President Zelensky towards a trilateral summit with European support,' they said in a joint statement that added that pressure must be maintained on Russia. 'As long as the killing in Ukraine continues, we stand ready to uphold the pressure on Russia. We will continue to strengthen sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia's war economy until there is a just and lasting peace,' they said. Russia could not have a 'veto' on Ukraine joining the European Union or NATO, they added. The war, that has killed tens of thousands and devastated much of Ukraine, went on despite the summit. Ukraine announced that Russia had launched 85 attack drones and a ballistic missile during the night. Russia said it had taken two more villages in Ukraine. Zelensky said Trump had laid out the 'main points' of the summit and that he would go to the White House on Monday 'to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war'. Trump and Putin emerged from their talks at a Cold War era air base to offer warm words at a press briefing but took no questions from reporters. 'We're not there yet, but we've made progress. There's no deal until there's a deal,' Trump said. He called the meeting 'extremely productive' with 'many points' agreed, but did not offer specifics. 'There are just a very few that are left, some are not that significant, one is probably the most significant,' Trump said without elaborating. 'Next time in Moscow' Putin also spoke in general terms of cooperation at the joint press appearance that lasted just 12 minutes. 'We hope that the understanding we have reached will... pave the way for peace in Ukraine,' Putin said. As Trump mused about a second meeting, Putin smiled and said in English: 'Next time in Moscow'. The former KGB agent tried to flatter Trump, who has voiced admiration for the Russian leader in the past. Before the summit, Trump had warned of 'severe consequences' if Russia did not accept a ceasefire. But when asked about those consequences during a Fox News interview after the talks, Trump said that 'because of what happened today, I think I don't have to think about that now'. Putin warns Western allies Trump, whose tone with Zelensky has changed since he berated the Ukrainian president at the White House in February, told Fox that 'Now it's really up to President Zelensky to get it done'. Trump could not get Russian agreement to get Zelensky into Friday's talks. But Zelensky, who has rejected suggestions that Ukraine give up territory, said Saturday that he supported the American efforts. 'It is important that America's strength has an impact on the development of the situation,' he said. Putin warned Ukraine and European countries to 'not create any obstacles' and not 'make attempts to disrupt this emerging progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigues'. Battlefield gains Russia in recent days has made battlefield gains that could strengthen Putin's hand in any ceasefire negotiations. Although Ukraine announced as Putin was flying in that it had retaken several villages, Russia's army on Saturday claimed the capture of Kolodyazi in Ukraine's Donetsk region and Vorone in the neighbouring Dnipropetrovsk region.- AFP
Kuwait Times
an hour ago
- Kuwait Times
In high-stakes summit, Trump, not Putin, budges
ANCHORAGE, US: President Donald Trump wanted to go bold—a high-pomp, high-stakes summit with Vladimir Putin to test whether the Russian leader would compromise on the Ukraine war. In the end, it looks like it was Trump, not Putin, who budged. Putin, visibly delighted as he stepped foot in the West for the first time since ordering the 2022 invasion, made no apparent concession at the talks at an Alaska air base. In a brief joint media appearance with Trump, who unusually took no questions, Putin again spoke of addressing the 'root causes' of the Ukraine war and warned Kyiv and Europeans against disrupting 'emerging progress' with the United States, the top defender of Ukraine under Trump's predecessor Joe Biden. Trump, who bills himself as a master negotiator, acknowledged there was 'no deal' but said there were 'very few' areas of disagreement, although he was vague on what they were. But posting hours later on his Truth Social account, Trump said he wanted Russia and Ukraine to 'go directly to a peace agreement, which would end the war' and not a ceasefire. Trump's own administration had been pushing a ceasefire for months, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signing on after intense pressure from Trump. Putin had repeatedly rejected truce offers and kept up attacks on Ukraine, seeking to maximize battlefield advantage. Trump had vowed to be firm with Putin after wide criticism of the US president's cowed appearance before him at a 2018 summit in Helsinki. But Putin again found ways to flatter and trigger Trump, who in his second term constantly speaks unprompted about his many grievances. Putin told Trump before the cameras that there would have been no war—which Putin himself launched—if Trump were president in 2022 rather than Biden, a frequent Trump talking point. Trump bemoaned the effect on ties with Putin of what he again called the 'hoax' of the findings by US intelligence that Russia meddled in the 2016 election to help him.—AFP In an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity after the summit, Trump said that 'one of the most interesting things' Putin told him was about... the US voting system. Trump said approvingly that Putin—who has held power in Russia since 2000 and was declared the winner of elections last year with 88 percent of the vote—told him of the risks of mail-in ballots and said of Trump's 2020 loss to Biden, 'You won that election by so much.' US election authorities and experts have found no evidence of wide-scale fraud from mail-in ballots in the 2020 election, which Trump, uniquely in US history, refused to concede. Trump's Democratic rivals voiced outrage that the summit secured no breakthrough and said it only served to normalize Putin, who faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. 'By quite literally rolling out the red carpet, Trump has legitimized Russia's aggression and whitewashed Putin's war crimes. It's shameful,' said Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Experts said it was too early to write off the summit completely, as much is not known about what was discussed behind closed doors. Trump will meet Zelensky on Monday at the White House. Jennifer Kavanagh, director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, which backs US restraint, said that Trump's critics have been proven wrong in saying he would 'give Ukraine to Putin or force Kyiv to accept surrender.' 'His focus has been and remains getting Putin to the negotiating table. Mr. Trump deserves credit rather than condemnation for his efforts so far,' she said. But Kristine Berzina, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund, said an initial read was that 'Putin scored a victory by showing up, and Trump's limited words and tense demeanor left Putin to control the narrative.' 'For a man so attached to showmanship, Trump unusually allowed Putin to be the star of what should have been the Trump show,' she said. – AFP
